1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gravity flow separator for oil well production fluids and more specifically to a separator for oil well production fluids including oil, water and gases in which the separator includes a water siphon system having a vertically adjustable spill point for the discharge of water to a collection or disposal area for changing the interface level between the water in the bottom of the separator tank and the oil on top of the water in the separator tank. The separator is primarily constructed of a non-corrosive, non-conductive, high impact plastic with the siphon system and standpipe being positioned internally of the separator tank to reduce damage caused by high winds damaging such components by blowing down the separator which may have been weakened by corrosion with this arrangement also reducing the possibility of water in the siphon and standpipe being frozen which can occur when these components are oriented externally of the tank. The siphon system located internally of the tank is provided with a vertically adjustable spill point with this adjustment being made from exteriorly of the separator tank.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Gravity oil and water separators have been used extensively in separating oil well production fluids. Separators of this type, frequently called gun barrels, are especially useful in low to moderate production rate oil wells in which low to moderate volumes of water are produced with the oil and where the produced oils are of moderate to high specific gravity. Known gravity oil and water separators are relatively simple in concept and are reliable and do not require an energy source other than the energy supplied by the pumping wells to move the fluids through the flow lines through the separators. In separators of this type, when low volumes of gases are produced with the liquids, the gases are vented at the top of the separator to the atmosphere. If large volumes of gases are produced, a gas and fluid separator is interconnected between the flow lines and the fluid gravity separator to remove the excess gases. As the oil and water separate in the separator tank, water migrates to the bottom of the tank and oil toward the top with the water being discharged from the bottom area of the tank to a disposal site and the oil is discharged from the upper portion of the tank to a stock tank from which it is periodically removed for further processing. The separation capability of a gravity oil and water separator is a function of volume, time, fluid conditions and temperature with the volume, time and temperature conditions being variable depending upon the fluid conditions. The following U.S. patents relate to this field of endeavor and include various separator structures for separating oil and water in a separator tank.
249,868 PA1 365,259 PA1 654,965 PA1 2,348,167 PA1 4,252,649
While the above listed patents disclose separators, they do not include the specific structure of the internally positioned siphon system having a vertically adjustable spill point adjustable from externally of the separator tank. The above listed patents also fail to disclose the specific structural features of the other components of the separator.